Removed ceiling lights - what to do with wires?

Hello,

I have a room in a relatively new house (1997) where I removed 2 out of the 4 ceiling lights. They are simple 48" T-3 fixtures wired through a knock-out in the top center of the light. The wiring is simply pulled through the sheetrock ceiling (through a hole about 3" in diameter). Due to the configuration of the room, this point on the ceiling is nearly at eye level (sloped ceiling).

I'm wondering what to do with the wires now that they aren't connected to the fixture. Obviously I've capped them off, but I can't imagine simply stuffing them back into the ceiling is code-compliant. Any thoughts?

Removed ceiling lights - what to do with wires?

Thanks for the quick replies!

jbfan: That's kind of what I thought but I was hoping to find some way around having to put a cover on the ceiling. Can I install a metal junction box higher up on the rafter, put a cover over it, and then patch the hole (i.e. cover is above the sheetrock in the ceiling space)?

joed: Good thought, but unfortunately it's wired in series and the wall switch still powers two other lights on the ceiling.

Removed ceiling lights - what to do with wires?

No - but I'm going to have to cut out a decent sized plaster square to patch the rather large hole left behind the by the wires (which is right next to a rafter). So I figured I could use the square cut-out to mount a small box...maybe it's not going to be as easy as I think though...

Removed ceiling lights - what to do with wires?

Quote:

Originally Posted by belias

Hello,

I have a room in a relatively new house (1997) where I removed 2 out of the 4 ceiling lights. They are simple 48" T-3 fixtures wired through a knock-out in the top center of the light. The wiring is simply pulled through the sheetrock ceiling (through a hole about 3" in diameter). Due to the configuration of the room, this point on the ceiling is nearly at eye level (sloped ceiling).

I'm wondering what to do with the wires now that they aren't connected to the fixture. Obviously I've capped them off, but I can't imagine simply stuffing them back into the ceiling is code-compliant. Any thoughts?

Thanks,

- Brian

Tie neutral ground and load together, incase they are ever energized the breaker will trip. Dont want a stray line wire in the ceiling with voltage.

Removed ceiling lights - what to do with wires?

Tie neutral ground and load together, incase they are ever energized the breaker will trip. Dont want a stray line wire in the ceiling with voltage.

Please read the thread before instructing someone to do something so dangerous. These wires will still be used for the lighting.

On another note, even if you were to abandon the wiring, what you propose is very dangerous. What if the breaker doesn't trip (which is definitely known to happen)? What if the homeowner just energized a dead short in their attic? That makes for a nice heating element waiting to burn their house down. I would MUCH rather have a capped off "stray line in the ceiling with voltage".

Removed ceiling lights - what to do with wires?

Quote:

Originally Posted by belias

No - but I'm going to have to cut out a decent sized plaster square to patch the rather large hole left behind the by the wires (which is right next to a rafter). So I figured I could use the square cut-out to mount a small box...maybe it's not going to be as easy as I think though...

They make access panels that pop into place in ceilings and walls.
This will be the only way you can put the box into the ceiling.